Living in Oblivion

R

Released Mar 17, 1995

1 hr. 31 min.

Comedy

List

86%

36 Reviews

Tomatometer

87%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Independent film director Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is making his first feature. Everything that can go wrong does: the rebellious catering crew refuses to replace spoiled milk, his actors are flaky and getting an unspoiled take is nearly impossible. Tension between lead actress Nicole (Catherine Keener) and actor Chad (James LeGros), who have just slept together, contributes to the many problems on set. As money and time run out, Nick struggles to complete his film.

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Critics Consensus

Living in Oblivion dives into the folly of filmmaking with a sharp satire that sends up indie cinema while working as an entertaining independent picture in its own right.

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ed m

Very funny satire of small time movie making. Buscemi rules!

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/23/24

Full Review

K B

Uhhhh what is this garbage?

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/05/24

Full Review

dave s

Moreso than probably any other movie, including Day for Night and 8 ½, Living in Oblivion allows the viewer an inside look at the filmmaking process. Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is a director working on a low-budget independent film where Murphy's Law seems to be the only law. While dealing with a pretentious cinematographer (Dermot Mulroney), a doltish leading man (James LeGros), and an angry dwarf (Peter Dinklage), Reve needs to figure out how to keep his senile mother (Rica Martens) off the set. Despite a gimmick (without giving away too much) that seems lazy, the cast seems to be having a ton of fun, there are some genuine laughs, and you might just learn a thing or two about how to make a movie.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Very funny and well put together comedy about a struggling indie movie director.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

karen v

How did this one evade me for so long? A great indie movie with some of my favorite actors.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Unique, exciting seeing everything play out, interesting set up, and I love the final scene. The final scene is actually what brought me to the movie. Nice!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/03/23

Full Review

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Tom DiCillo

Director

Steve Buscemi

Nick Reve

Catherine Keener

Nicole Springer

Dermot Mulroney

Wolf

Danielle von Zerneck

Wanda

James LeGros

Chad Palomino

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Manohla Dargis

Spin

A ten-minute joke stretched to near exhaustion.

Apr 18, 2022

Full Review

Anthony Lane

New Yorker

Slight but smart, and it doesn't overstay its welcome.

Jan 10, 2022

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

A hip indie version of Truffaut's Day for Night, Living in Oblivion celebrates the very act of filmmaking as grand folly, a triumph of absurdist heroism.

Rated: A-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Quentin Crisp

Christopher Street

I cannot praise Living In Oblivion too highly, but I doubt that it will make fifty million dollars the moment it is shown.

Apr 21, 2022

Full Review

Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Tom DeCillo's hilarious comedy about the pain in the ass of independent filmmaking circa 1995 is a hoot.

Rated: FOUR STARS

Feb 27, 2022

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Creative Loafing

The segment in which Nick (Steve Buscemi) attempts to film a dream sequence (not unlike the famous one from TV's Twin Peaks) featuring a dwarf named Tito (Peter Dinklage) is worth the rental/purchase price alone.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 28, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

Independent film director Nick Reve (Steve Buscemi) is making his first feature. Everything that can go wrong does: the rebellious catering crew refuses to replace spoiled milk, his actors are flaky and getting an unspoiled take is nearly impossible. Tension between lead actress Nicole (Catherine Keener) and actor Chad (James LeGros), who have just slept together, contributes to the many problems on set. As money and time run out, Nick struggles to complete his film.

Director: Tom DiCillo
Executive Producer: Hilary Gilford
Screenwriter: Tom DiCillo
Distributor: Columbia Tristar, Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co: JDI Productions, Lemon Sky Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 17, 1995, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 29, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $48.0K

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